Voting machines to stay put

A new report that outlines security flaws in certain voting equipment has prompted one Central Florida county to change the way it runs elections: Volusia poll workers can no longer take home voting machines before an election, officials there announced Wednesday.

But other counties, including Orange, Seminole and Osceola, say they'll continue to allow poll officials to take custody of equipment a day or more before voting begins.

The practice is designed to streamline the process of setting up often far-flung precincts, reducing complications on already hectic days that start long before voting begins at 7 a.m. Lake officials don't allow workers to take home equipment.

Volusia Elections Supervisor Ann McFall ended the take-home practice because of security concerns with the brand of machines used in Volusia, Seminole and Osceola.

"Perception is reality, and we want people to come out and vote and know their vote counts," McFall said. The change will mean workers who used to come in at 5 a.m. on Election Day will now have to come in as early as 3 a.m., she said.

Volusia, Seminole and Osceola counties primarily use optical-scan voting machines made by Diebold Election Systems. Such machines still have "significant" problems, even after Diebold made improvements, the report by researchers with Florida State University found.

Orange and Lake use machines made by Election Systems & Software, whose devices are not criticized in the report.

State officials have ordered Diebold to fix problems with its computerized program by Aug. 17. But they are not requiring the 31 Florida counties that use Diebold machines to change how they run elections.

Voting activist Susan Pynchon, executive director of the DeLand-based Florida Fair Elections Coalition, said she has raised concerns about the take-home policy in the past and is pleased McFall made the change and others aimed at beefing up security.

Seminole will still allow equipment to go home as early as the weekend before a Tuesday election because Elections Supervisor Michael Ertel is confident about security.

Osceola election officials will continue their take-home practice but are exploring other options.

Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles downplayed tampering possibilities with his system, made by ES&S.

He said poll clerks are only allowed to take home certain supplies, including "memory packs" and ballots after they are issued on the Saturday before the election. The tabulating machines are delivered to the precincts the Monday before election day.

Cowles said that if a poll clerk tampered with a memory pack, that would be evident when the system was booted up on election morning.